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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. staff — employees
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. staff — employees
  6. tube — the underground
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. squash — the sport
  13. stock — shares
  14. clip — to cut
  15. staff — a stick
  16. clip — for paper
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. tube — a container
  19. stock — goods
  20. rash — a series
  21. rest — a break
  22. clip — a video
  23. squash — to crush
  24. rest — what's left

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com